I. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to hand-held random number generators for assisting a user in picking random numbers for playing numeric games of chance including Keno, Jai-Alai and various lottery games. More particularly, the present invention pertains to a hand-held random number generator capable of operating in six modes or games, four of which are user programmable and the remaining two of which are factory programmed for generating random numbers akin to the numbers generated from rolling a pair of dice and spinning a Roulette Wheel.
II. Prior Art
There are many situations in which it is desirable to select numbers at random. One such situation is for choosing numbers for various number games, such as lotteries. In this situation, it is desirable for a lottery participant to use a portable or hand-held random number generator for choosing random numbers. Several such portable random number generators exist. One such device is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,858,122 (Kreisner). The Kreisner device is capable of operating in five pre-programmed modes with the user selecting the upper limit of the range from which the random numbers are chosen. The lower limit of the range is preset to 1. The five pre-programmed modes of this device allow a user to select a quantity of random numbers ranging from 3 to 6. The Kreisner device is limited in several respects. For example, if the first mode, which generates 3 random numbers, is selected, the random numbers chosen are all single digit numbers, i.e. the device does not provide the user with an option for selecting three double digit numbers such as, for example, 12, 20, 34, etc. This device is also limited by not providing the user with the ability to select more than six numbers at a time. Also, the device does not allow for selecting the minimum value of the range from which the random numbers are chosen.
Another portable random number generating device is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,692,863 (Moosz). This device is capable of operating in a weighted mode and a random mode. When operated in the weighted mode, the user enters a plurality of favorite numbers into a memory array and some of the random numbers generated are chosen from this array. When operated in the random mode, the device, like the Kreisner device above, is limited in that it only allows the user to select between a minimum of three random numbers and a maximum of six random numbers. In other words, this device is not capable of selecting a quantity of random numbers greater than six or less than three, thereby limiting its uses.
As discussed above, the prior art portable random number generators have substantial limited capabilities. Therefore, it is desirable to have a hand-held random number generating device with user programmable capabilities for allowing the user to define a range from which the random numbers will be chosen as well as allowing the user to have full control over the quantity of numbers generated. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a hand-held random number generating device comprising multiple separate and distinct modes of operation for allowing a user to program a separate set of parameters for each mode and wherein each set of parameters comprises; (i) a range from which the random numbers are selected, (ii) a quantity of random numbers selected and, (iii) an instruction for allowing duplicate numbers within the number of random numbers.
It is another object of the invention to provide, in addition to the user programmable modes, a first fixed game for generating random numbers simulating numbers generated upon the rolling of a pair of dice.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a second fixed game for generating random numbers and their corresponding colors akin to the numbers generated upon the spinning of a Roulette Wheel.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide a portable random number generating device capable of displaying programmed messages for allowing a user to determine whether an instant prize has been won.